Container and cover assembly for corrosive materials



June 20, 1961 T. H. GIBBS, JR

CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY FOR CORROSIVE MATERIALS Filed April 24,1958 INVENTOR THOMAS H GIBBS,

United States Patent 2,989,208 CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY FORCORROSIVE MATERIALS Thomas H. Gibbs, Jr., Van Wert, Ohio, assignor toCon- This invention relates generally to containers employed forshipping, storing or dispensing corrosive liquids, and more particularlyto a container and cover combination that may be employed for suchpurposes.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a novelarrangement for protecting the metal cover on a fiber or metal containeror drum from corrosive contents in the container when the cover isprovided with fittings for filling, emptying or venting the container.

Another object is to provide a novel combination con: tainer and coverstructure that is effective for preventing a metal cover fromcontaminating corrosive liquid contents of a container, as well aspreventing the cover from being attacked by the contents either beforeor after closure seals have been broken.

In utilizing conventional fiber or metal containers and covers forshipping corrosive liquids, a common practice has been to coat theinterior surfaces of the drum and cover with chemically resistantcoatings such as epoxies, vinyls, phenolics, etc., but if there is animperfection or pinhole in the coating, or it becomes scratched ordamaged, the product can attack the body material of the drum or cover,and the resulting rust can contaminate the contents to an extent thatmay make the liquid useless. Pinholes and imperfections in the linercoating of a drum can readily be eliminated by applying several coats ofthe chemically resistant liner material, but multiple coatings on acover cannot be relied on to be effective because they are frequentlyscratched during handling.

Furthermore, imperfections in coatings on formed covers that are drawnwith ribs or beads are common because the stretched part of the metal ismore diflicult to coat than covers with flat tops.

Punching a metal cover with holes and drawing it for attaching bung andvent plug fittings exposes sheared edges of the cover on the inner sidethereof that are difficult to coat with a protective coating, and henceare very vulnerable to rusting.

' There are some products, such as ammonia, acetic acid, lactic acid,etc., that are difiicult to hold with coatings on steel. A plastic filmor membrane disposed between the container and the cover has advantagesin that it is more economical than the multicoat chemically resistantvarnish required on a metal cover to prevent chemical attack, andinherently is more corrosion resistant and flexible, thereby being lessliable to damage during shipment.

Heretofore, a disadvantage in utilizing a plastic sealing disk or filmwith a cover equipped with bung or vent plug fittings was that thecontents of the drum could not be dispensed without puncturing theplastic membrane and thereby exposing the metal of the cover to thecorrosive contents of the drum. Furthermore, puncturing the plasticmembrane or partition permitted a portion of the contents to flow intothe space between the membrane and the cover where it became trapped andcould not readily be removed, consequently it became wasted.

An efiective solution has been found in placing a thermoplastic sealingdisk or film over the inner face of the cover and attaching it to theinner ends of the bung and vent fittings fastened in the cover. The hungand vent fittings arealso of a thermoplastic material so that the filmmay be heat sealed thereto.

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A consequent object is to provide a container cover having attachedthermoplastic fittings with a protective thermoplastic undercovertherefor which is attached to the fittings so that when the fittings andundercover are opened, the inner surface of the cover will not beexposed.

A further object is to provide a container cover with thermoplasticfittings and a protective membrane over the inner surface thereof whichmay be of a laminated material having the outermost lamina of athermoplastic material heat sealed to the fittings, and the innermostlamina of a different material.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating the upper portion of acontainer incorporating the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, indicated generally at 5 is acontainer, in the preferred embodiment including a body member 6 of thecharacter disclosed in US. Letters Patent 2,727,673. Indicated generallyat 7 is an improved cover assembly, the same being maintained in sealedrelationship on the body member by means of a removable clamp ringassembly indicated generally at 8 and of the character disclosed indetail in US. Letters Patent to H. A. Scott et al. 2,795,975, issuedDecember 25, 1951.

The body member 6 includes a cylindrical convolutely wound body wall 9sealingly secured to a suitable bottom heading of the characterdisclosed in the Bergstrom patent, for example, and the upper edge ofsaid body wall includes an inwardly turned annular bead 10 protected byan annular metal chime '11. The inner surface of the bottom heading (notshown) will include an impervious polyethylene liner or shield of thecharacter disclosed in US. Letters Patent to Bergstrom 2,775,384, issuedDecember 25, 1956, and the inner surface of the body wall 9 willincorporate a polyethylene liner 12 which extends over the upper edge ofthe body wall overlying the chime 11 to be ultimately disposed beneath ashoulder portion 13 of the body member as clearly shown in FIGURE 2.

The cover assembly 7 comprises a metal lid member 15 incorporating anannular rib 16 dimensioned to fit the inner surface of the head 10 ofthe body member and spaced inwardly of a downwardly opening peripheralchannel 17 engageable over the upper edge of the body wall of the bodymember. The clamp ring assembly '8 is of the expansible type andfunctions to clampingly engage and retain the lid member in sealedrelationship with the body member as is conventional in the art anddisclosed in detail in the patent to Scott et a1.

Incorporated in an annular recessed portion 20 of the lid member 15 is abung assembly indicated generally at 21 of the character disclosed indetail in US. Letters Patent 2,772,017. The bung assembly includes apolyethylene tubular mounting sleeve 22, extending through anapertured'portion in the recess 20 and incorporating an annular flange23 disposed upon a suitable shoulder or flange 24 of the aperturedportion of the lid member. An annular clamp ring 25 overlies the flange23 and shoulder 24. The sleeve 22 is internally threaded as indicated at26, receiving therein a removable plug 27. The sleeve 22 is of aseverable material incorporating a transverse removable plug portion 28which will be cut out when the plug 27 is removed to obtain access tothe contents of the container. Extending across the inner surface of thelid member 15 is an impervious shield or sealing disc 30 ofpolyethylene, or any other suitable material, portions of which extendover adjacent portions of the 3 liner 12 of the body member adjacent theannular rib 16. A suitable sealing gasket 31 may be incorporated in thechannel 17 of the lid member so as to be disposed on top of the portionof the sealing disc 30 which extends over the upper edge of the bodywall 9 of the container.

A second recessed portion 32 of the lid member 'includes therein a ventassembly indicated generally at 33 and being of the character disclosedin detail in US. Letters Patent 2,785,865. The vent assembly 33 includesa tubular mounting sleeve 34 of polyethylene or any similar materialfixed on a flanged portion 35 of the lid member. The sleeve 34 isinternally threaded at 36 receiving therein a removable plug 37. Thesleeve 34 incorporates a transverse severable plug portion 38 to beremoved for the purpose of permitting entry of air into the containerwhen the material contained therein is being dispensed.

The portion 45 of the sealing disc immediately below the plug portion 28will be heat-fused at 46 to the sleeve 22 of the bung assembly. Thuswhen the portions indicated at S comprising the bung plug portion 28 andsealing disc portion 45 are cut away, the sealing disc 30 will continueto be sealed at 46 to the sleeve preventing the contents of thecontainer from entering the space 40. The portion 47 of the sealing discwhich is immediately below the vent plug portion 38 of the sleeve 34will also be heat sealed or fused at 48 to the sleeve, and when theportions 38 and 4-8 as indicated at s are cut away the lower portion ofthe sleeve 34 will still be sealingly secured to the disc 30 alsopreventing the contents of the container from entering the space 40.Additionally, the sealing disc 30 preferably is not held too taut inorder to minimize any tendency for it to split or crack. The sealingdisk 30 thus defines the upper limit of the container and prevents theloss of material in the space 40 which would otherwise occur if theseals at 46 and 48 were not employed.

Although the inner surface 41 of the lid member 15 may have been coatedwith various coating materials previously mentioned, in lieu ofproviding an impervious thermoplastic undercover, imperfections orscratches in the coating could still exist, exposing the metal of thelid member to corrosion and ultimate contamination of the contents inthe container. Even if the coating on the inner surface 41 is adequatefor the purpose intended, the edge 42 of the shoulder portion 24 of thelid member'and' edge 43 of the flange 35 of the lid member, which areextremely difficult to coat, would still be exposed to the corrosiveeffect of the contents of the container and ultimate contaminationthereof. Additionally, a considerable amount of the material wouldremain in the space 40 and would not be available for use.

Although polyethylene is specifically mentioned as a preferred materialfor the liner, sealing disc and sleeve of the bung and vent assemblies,other suitable corrosiveresistant and impervious material may beutilized. Furthermore, although specific bung and vent assemblies aredisclosed in the preferred embodiment, other fittings including a lowerend depending into a container may be utilized.

In review, utilization of the liner and sealing disc eliminates the timeand expense and danger of imperfections resulting during the applicationof chemicalresistant coatings, which, even after having been prepared ina perfect condition, aresubject to scratching and other damage duringhandling. Usually, drawn covers of the character involved, includeportions which are not susceptible to coating, and certain products tobe packaged such as ammonia, acetic. acid, lactic acid, etc. aredifficultto retain in a pure and unadulterated condition with any typeof coating on steel, or similar metals. The novel container and coverassembly, described, above, not only protects the contents in thecontainer, butmakes it possible for partial dispensing of the contentswith. the

remaining portion maintained in its pure and unadulterated condition.

The construction shown embodies the invention in a preferred form, butit is intended that the disclosure be illustrative rather thandefinitive, the invention being defined in the claims.

Iclaim:

1. For use on a container for corrosive liquids orsemiliquids, a coverassembly for sealingly engaging the container after it is filled with acorrosive material, said cover assembly including the lid member of acomposition subject to corrosion by the material in the container orwhich will contaminate the contents of the container, dispensing meanson said lid member including a portion to be disposed within thecontainer when it is sealed, and an uninterrupted imperviouscorrosion-resistant-disc extending across the inner surface of the lidmember below said dispensing means for sealingly engaging the containerwith which the cover assembly is used, said portion of the dispensingmeans to be disposed within the container being sealingly secured to anadjacent portion of said disc for preventing contact of any portion ofthe inner surface of said lid member with the contents of the container.

2. In a cover assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which said dispensingmeans comprises bung and vent assemblies, portions of the bung and ventassemblies being sealingly secured to the adjacent portions of said discand comprising removable portions for permitting access to the contentsof the container with which the cover assembly is used, remainingadjacent portions of said bung and vent assemblies and disc beingsealingly secured to each other for preventing the corrosive contents inthe container from ever coming in contact with the adjacent surface ofsaid lid member.

3. In a cover assembly as set forth in claim 2 in which said adjacentportions of said bung and vent assemblies and disc are fused to eachother and comprise a severable material.

4. A container for corrosive material comprising a body memberterminating in a coplanar upper edge, a cover assembly sealingly securedon said upper edge, a corrosion-resistant impervious liner in said bodymember extending over the upper edge thereof, said cover assemblyincluding a lid member sealingly engaging the upper edge of the bodymember, an uninterrupted impervious corrosion-resistant disc across theinner surface of said lid member sealingly. engaged at the upper edge ofsaid body member, andmeans on said lid member for dispensing thecontents of the container, said means comprising at least one openingthrough said lid member including a fitting incorporating a removableclosure element, said impervious disc extending below said fitting andsaid fitting including a portion within said container sealingly engagedto the impervious disc, adjacent portions of said fitting and discincluding removable portions providing access to the contents of thecontainer and maintaining the contents of the container out of contactwith the inner surface of said lid member.

5. A container for corrosive material comprising a body memberterminating in a coplanar upper edge, a cover/assembly sealingly securedon said upper edge, a corrosion-resistant impervious liner in said bodymember extending over the upper edge thereof, said cover assemblyincluding a lid member sealingly engaging the upper edge of the bodymember, an impervious corrosion-resistant disc across the inner surfaceof said lid member sealingly engaged at the upper edge of said bodymember, and means on said lid member for dispensing the contents of thecontainer, said means comprising at least one opening through said lidmemberincluding a fitting incorporating a removable closure element,said fitting including a portion within said container sealingly engagedtothe impervious disc across the inner surface of said lid member,adjacent portions of said fittingand disc including removable portionsproviding access to the contents of the container and maintaining thecontents of the container out of contact with the inner surface of saidlid member, said fitting including a sieeve extending through said lidmember, a plug sealingly and removably received in the end of saidsleeve disposed opposite said disc, the other end of said sleevecomprising the adjacent portion of said fitting sealingly secured tosaid disc, said disc comprising of severable material, the portion ofsaid disc disposed beneath the sleeve comprising a severable barrierremovable when the plug is removed to obtain access to the interior ofthe container.

6. In a container as set forth in claim 5 in which said disc is disposedacross the upper end of said body member and defines the upper limitsthereof for insuring substantially complete dispensing of the contentsof said container.

7. A cover assembly for closing a container filled with a corrosivematerial, said cover assembly comprising a lid member of a compositionsubject to corrosion by the material in the container or which willcontaminate the contents of the container, said lid member having aninner surface, at least one dispensing fitting carried by said lid, saiddispensing fitting being formed of a corrosion-resistant material andincluding a sleeve and a plug fitting in said sleeve in sealed relation,said sleeve passing through said lid member and being sealed thereto,and an impervious corrosion-resistant disc extending across theunderside of said lid member and forming a seal with the peripherythereof, said disc also extending below said sleeve and being sealed tothe bottom edge said sleeve, whereby the contents of a container arepermanently excluded from contact with the underside of said lid memberand initially excluded from contact with said dispensing fitting.

8. A cover assembly for closing a container filled with a corrosivematerial, said cover assembly comprising a lid member of a compositionsubject to corrosion by the material in the container or which willcontaminate the contents of the container, said lid member having aninner surface, at least one dispensing fitting carried by said lid, saiddispensing fitting being formed of a corrosion-resistant material andincluding a sleeve and a plug fitting in said sleeve in sealed relation,said sleeve passing through said lid member and being sealed thereto,and an impervious corrosion-resistant disc extending across theunderside of said lid member and forming a. seal with the peripherythereof, said disc also being sealed to said sleeve, whereby thecontents of a container are excluded from contact with the underside ofsaid lid member, said lid member having an inwardly projectingperipheral rib on the underside thereof, said rib lying generally in theplane of the inner end of said sleeve, whereby said disc may be readilysealed to said sleeve after being positioned on said lid member.

9. A cover assembly for closing a container filled with a corrosivematerial, said cover assembly comprising a lid member of a compositionsubject to corrosion by the material in the container or which :willcontaminate the contents of the container, said lid member having aninner surface, at least one dispensing fitting carried by said lid, saiddispensing fitting being formed of a corrosion-resistant material andincluding a sleeve and a plug fitting in said sleeve in sealed relation,said sleeve passing through said lid member and being sealed thereto,and an impervious corrosion resistant disc extending across theunderside of said lid member and forming a seal with the peripherythereof, said disc also being sealed to said sleeve, whereby thecontents of a container are excluded from contact with the underside ofsaid lid member, the inner end of said sleeve being provided with aremovable integral plug portion and the connection between said sleeveand said disc is around and inwardly of said plug portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,098,763 Lebell Nov. 9, 1937 2,721,674 Lazard Oct. 25, 1955 2,771,221Hammond et a1 Nov. 20, 1956 2,772,017 Rieke Nov. 27, 1956 2,790,577Fried Apr. 30, 1957 2,798,654 Gibbs July 9, 1957

